Learn about the historic space shuttle mission that saved the Hubble Space Telescope as described by veteran astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Kathryn Thornton, who conducted spacewalks to install the instruments and corrective optics that cured Hubble’s blurred vision.
Category: space – Page 966
NASA Animation Shows Arctic Ice Rapidly Depleting
This animation shows how Arctic ice is disappearing at a stunning rate.
25 Years of Servicing with Hubble
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was the first telescope designed to be serviced in orbit. Join Hubble astronauts live as they discuss servicing from the innovative Robotics Operations Center. Plus a robot demo!
Over the last 28 years, we have improved NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope’s capabilities of capturing innumerable galaxies throughout the universe
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of our first servicing mission, check out Hubble’s view pre-servicing in 1993 to the 2009 image taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, of one especially photogenic galaxy located 55 million light-years away. Take a closer look: https://go.nasa.gov/2G3a7m7&h=AT2kdzuMJry_LAUVF93l2REPEy09T4…DRh4gS-cCA
Dutch research team involved in first landing on the far side of the moon
The Chinese space agency will be launching the Chang’e 4 moon lander on Friday 7 December, hoping to make China the first country to land on the far side of the moon. Dutch astronomers are also looking forward to the launch as they are collaborating with Chinese scientists on this mission. A satellite containing a Dutch radio instrument has already been launched to the far side of the moon, ready to be switched on once the moon lander touches down.
The Final Frontier: Directed Energy Applications in Outer Space
[Editor’s Note: Mad Scientist Laboratory is pleased to publish the following post by returning guest blogger and proclaimed Mad Scientist Ms. Marie Murphy, addressing Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) applications in space, and their potential impact on Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) in the Future Operational Environment.]
The image of the “space war” is ubiquitous from popular Cold War and contemporary renderings: fast attack fighters equipped with laser cannons, swooping in to engage the enemy fleet in an outer space dogfight, culminating with the cataclysmic explosion of the enemy’s dreadnought. The use of directed energy in this scenario, while making for good entertainment, is a far cry from the practical applications of directed energy in space out to 2050. Taking a step back from the thrilling future possibilities of space combat, it is important to note that it is not a question of when lasers will be put into space — they already have been. What is uncertain is the speed at which lasers and other forms of directed energy will be weaponized, and when these capabilities will be used to extend conflict into the physical domain of low-earth orbit and outer space.
Since 2003, NASA has used a laser mounted on a satellite to measure ice sheets and conduct other environmental studies and mapping. This mission involved the constant emission of a green laser, split into six beams, reflecting off polar ice and returning photons to the satellite. NASA is presently exploring the use of lasers for communications, a technology with abundant military applications. One such program, undertaken jointly by NASA and private industry, is the use of optical, or laser, communications between space assets and ground stations on Earth. These optical transmissions have the benefit of allowing the communication.